


A Heart of Steel Will Never Bleed

by MYuzuki



Category: Mega Man X7, Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Character Study, Developing Friendships, Gen, Hidden Depths, Introspection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, kind of?, not sure what to tag this as?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:41:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21590911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MYuzuki/pseuds/MYuzuki
Summary: "So you're never coming back?""You know my answer to that."
Relationships: Axl & Wind Crowrang, Axl & Zero (Rockman)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 33





	A Heart of Steel Will Never Bleed

**Author's Note:**

> So, my MMX muse managed to stick around and this fic is the result! For more background on how this fic came about and what I was thinking of when I wrote it, feel free to check out the ending author's note. Otherwise, all you need to know is that it takes place during Mega Man X7, the Wind Crowrang mission. Enjoy!

Zero's done plenty of missions in bizarre and dangerous locations, but he genuinely can't recall ever needing to _jump between fighter jets while flying approximately thirty-eight thousand feet in the air_ to reach his target.

He's not sure what it says about him that he's able to take this in stride without more than a passing thought of _Huh, interesting_. Probably that he's been at this Hunter business too long. But whatever; he's a Maverick Hunter, and this is the job. And he's good at what he does, better than most.

(Better than anyone but X, really, that's neither here nor there.)

So if he has to jump between high-flying fighter jets to get to the airship where the target is, so be it.

He just wishes his actual partner was here, instead of…whatever Axl is.

The punk's good enough in a fight, Zero will admit that much. But for all his enthusiasm and natural skill, he's no X. Throw in the fact that Zero's still not a hundred percent certain of Axl's motivations and he can't deny that he's on edge about partnering with the kid to hunt down the other members of Red Alert.

Part of that comes from the fact that Axl himself was recently a member of the Red Alert Syndicate himself. And a top operative, no less, at least if Zero's understanding of the kid's half-assed explanation is correct.

Maybe Zero is just old-fashioned when it comes to things like loyalty, but he's having a hard time believing that someone would just run away from an organization they'd been with for years and start working against them. Especially someone like Axl, who seems to have a fairly mercenary outlook on life despite his apparent youth; someone with a mindset like that by all rights shouldn't _care_ about who the organization is targeting, but Axl _does_. Had, in fact, left Red Alert because their targets had shifted away from what he considered acceptable.

It doesn't make any sense. A trigger-happy vigilante with a conscience? Zero's definitely seen stranger things, but even so it's more than a little absurd. And Axl still speaks of his former comrades with a reluctant sort of fondness, like part of him is still loyal to Red Alert despite defecting.

(That's what it seems like whenever they manage to pry information out of him, at least. Despite his seemingly outgoing personality, the kid can rival Zero himself for recalcitrance, and getting personal information from the younger Reploid is -what's the human phrase?- a bit like pulling teeth.)

Zero supposes that it comes down trust, really. He's going to have to trust that Axl is sincere in wanting to do the right thing, to make amends for his past crimes.

(And if that trust proves to be misplaced, well. Zero's confident that he can take Axl down in a fight; the kid's got guts and skills, but Zero's a veteran Hunter with a lifetime of combat to draw on.)

He's dragged from his thoughts by a transmission from Alia.

"Zero, can you hear me?"

Zero finishes leaping across the trio of jets he's currently using as stepping stones before he responds, absently glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Axl's keeping up. "Go ahead, Alia."

"You're getting closer to the mother-ship," the lead navigator informs him. "Just a little bit further."

Zero squints, but between the clouds rushing past and the jets bobbing up and down he can't make out much more than the outline of a larger airborne vessel some distance ahead. "I'll take your word on it," he tell hers. "Any thoughts for how to get inside the ship once we reach it?"

"Nothing yet," Alia says tone apologetic. "I'm trying to find a viable route to take you to the heart of the mother-ship, but my assessment isn't complete yet."

"Copy that," Zero says, more resigned than anything. He's used to winging it out in the field, after all; very rarely do the Maverick Hunters have enough information to know exactly what they're walking into before they walk into it and this mission is no exception.

"You could ask Axl for his input," Alia suggests. "He might have some insider knowledge that can help."

"Maybe," Zero agrees. Whether he actually shares that knowledge is another thing entirely, though. "I'll ask."

"Okay. I'll contact you once I have more information. Alia out."

The communication line subsides into silence and Zero's left with just Axl and the roaring fighter jets for company.

(Well, and the various flying combat drones and battle Reploids that are trying to stop them from getting any closer to the mother-ship, but Zero's not really counting them as 'company'. More of a nuisance than anything.)

"Alia says we're getting closer to the mother-ship," Zero says to Axl now, raising his voice to be heard over the rushing wind.

"Yeah," is all Axl has to say in response, something like anticipation creeping into his expression as he looks ahead at the looming outline of the airship in question.

"Anything you want to share about what we can expect once we get inside?"

Axl slants him an unreadable look before dropping his gaze, absentmindedly checking out his pistol in what seems to be an avoidance tactic. "Red Alert's Air Forces are commanded by Wind Crowrang," he says at last, his tone carefully neutral. "So it seems safe to assume that we'll run into him."

Zero searches his memory for any information about this Crowrang character and comes up with…not a lot. Some sort of aerial combatant, from what he's heard, but beyond that he's got nothing. "Is he dangerous?"

Axl snorts. "All members of Red Alert are dangerous," he says, and there's something in his voice that Zero can't put a finger on; a warped sense of pride maybe, or a dark sort of amusement.

( _All members are dangerous_ , he'd said, and it makes Zero want to ask _Even you?_ despite knowing full well that it's a stupid question. _Obviously_ Axl is dangerous; even ignoring the fact that Red Alert seemed to value him as a top operative, the kid's better at fighting than his adolescent appearance would suggest.

It makes him wonder who Axl was before Red Alert, but he guesses it doesn't really matter. Not right now, at least.)

"Any thoughts on what to expect in a fight against him?" Zero asks now, because the upcoming battle is without a doubt the end goal of their mission; once they eliminate Crowrang, the Air Forces will no longer be a threat and the Hunters can shift their focus to the next target

"I-" Axl's expression shifts into something that might be regret, but it's gone again before Zero can be sure, buried beneath steely resolve. "I haven't seen him fight in a while, but I doubt his tactics have changed very much."

"...And?" Zero prompts, when it becomes clear that Axl isn't going to continue speaking on his own.

"He fights from the air," Axl tells him, huffing out a short sigh. "Long-distance stuff mostly, small missiles and boomerang attacks. But he's got two energy blades as well, for close combat." He seems to think something over for a moment before continuing. "He's ridiculously fast, too, and likes to dive-bomb you when you least expect it, so watch out for that." A ghost of a smile flickers across his face before disappearing, as if a memory had popped up before being quickly buried under a facade of professionalism.

Zero eyes the kid. "You gonna be a liability in this fight?" he asks, and he _knows_ it's not the most tactful way of asking 'Are you going to be okay?'. But he's not X, doesn't have his partner's empathy; even when he _is_ concerned about something, he's bad at expressing that concern in a way that doesn't put other people off.

Axl, for his part, doesn't seem troubled by the question. He just gives a bitter smile -nothing like the bright grins he's given before now, to the point that Zero has to blink and make sure he's not imagining it- and tips his shoulder in a half-shrug. "You don't need to worry about me, Zero," he says. "I'll get the job done."

That's…not precisely what Zero asked, but he knows better than to ask again; for all that Axl seems to have motor mouth about certain things, he's almost disturbingly close-lipped about himself beyond what he's had to divulge for the sake of their mission.

"Alright," he acknowledges. "Let's get moving, then."

It takes them another fifteen minutes to vault between the remaining jets and reach the mother-ship, taking out Runnerbombs and Flyers and other enemies as they go.

"Zero, Axl, come in. Can you hear me?"

"Hey, Alia," Axl says cheerfully, all signs of his previous introspective gloom gone entirely. "What's up?"

Zero rolls his eyes before he can stop himself, because _what is with this kid_ , seriously. "We've reached the main airship," he tells their navigator.

"Great timing!" Alia tells them. "We've finished analyzing the data we gathered, and we think we've found a path into the heart of the mother-ship."

"Excellent," Zero says. "What is it?"

"Once you progress a little further, you'll see two large cannons. To reach the command level of the ship, you'll need to go through the shutters between the two cannons."

"That sounds a little too easy," Zero comments dryly. "What's the catch?"

"The shutters are sealed shut right now," Alia informs them. "Before you can access them, first you'll have to beat both the cannons _and_ the gatekeepers to break the lock."

"Sounds like fun," Axl says without missing a beat and part of Zero can't help but wonder if this kid has _any_ self-preservation instinct _at all_.

(Another part of Zero wonders how real that smile actually is, if it's always genuine or if sometimes it's just a mask that Axl puts on for the rest of the world.)

"...I'll keep you updated as to our progress," Zero tells Alia (because what else can he say really), and then closes the communication link so as to minimize distractions.

The fight against the so-called gatekeepers goes…not entirely smoothly (because when does Hunter business _ever_ go smoothly) but what Axl had said at the start of this mess holds true: they're a good team, the two of them. Not quite on the level that X and Zero have reached after years of working together, side by side for most of their important fights, but there's no denying the synergy between them.

They play off each other's strengths well enough, and together they bring down first the cannons themselves and then the gatekeepers blocking their path forward. From there, its just a matter of getting through the shutters and making their way up to the command deck of the airship.

Once they reach the command deck, though, and see the corvid-themed Reploid waiting for them there…well, Axl's whole body goes tense, and Zero gets the distinct impression that the younger Reploid would like nothing better than to turn right back around and walk away from the fight that's coming.

(It strikes Zero as wrong and makes him edgy, because he may not understand very much about Axl at all, but he's seen enough to know that this kid doesn't run away from a fight, no matter how tough. He's the type to run in, guns literally blazing.)

"I see you've finally made it," Wind Crowrang says, breaking the silence first. "Took you long enough."

Axl gives a small huff of what seems to be amusement. "This isn't like you," he remarks, putting a hand on one hip as he surveys the enemy in front of them. "Staying cooped up here on the command deck. I thought for sure that you'd fly straight at us, full force. What's the deal?"

Wind Crowrang remains silent for a long moment, dark eyes sharp as he stares at them, his gaze flickering over to Zero before settling back on Axl. "So you're never coming back?" he says now, clearly speaking only to the younger Reploid, and there's something in his tone that Zero can't quite parse. Resignation, perhaps, with a hint of grief. Not what he'd normally expect out of a Maverick, but then Zero supposes that these are no normal Mavericks. There's no virus or glitch driving their actions, just their own free will.

"You know my answer to that," Axl says now, and while there's regret in his tone it's matched by steely determination and unwavering resolve. "What Red Alert's doing now is wrong. I can't stand by and let it happen."

Wind Crowrang gives a harsh cackling sound that calls to mind the cawing chorus of a murder of crows. "You never change, do you?" He shakes his head. "Always wanting to be a hero."

Axl makes a face. "We both know I've never been that," he replies. "I'm just trying to do the right thing."

Wind Crowrang makes a vaguely derisive sound but doesn't argue the matter further, turning instead to Zero. "And what do we have here, hm? The great Maverick Hunter himself, Zero. I suppose I should be flattered that they sent the very best after me. But tell me, why are you really here? Do you not trust Axl to fulfill a mission like this unsupervised? Worried, perhaps, that one of us might coax him to return to Red Alert?"

Zero notices Axl stiffen out of the corner of his eye, but doesn't turn. "It's customary for a more seasoned Hunter to accompany less experienced recruits on dangerous missions," he says, which is somewhere between truth and lie; that policy is indeed customary, but Axl isn't technically a recruit. Currently, he's somewhere in a gray area, still more of a vigilante than a Hunter but cooperating with the Maverick Hunters in pursuit of the same goals. "Now," he goes on, shifting the subject before either Axl or Crowrang can call him out on his half-truths, "before I destroy you, let me ask you a question in return."

Wind Crowrang flares a wing in a motion that Zero interprets as 'get on with it, then'

"What is your real purpose?" Zero asks him. "It can't just be getting Axl back."

"Spoken like someone who doesn't understand Axl's value," Crowrang retorts, something sharp in his tone. "He was an important asset to our organization and a loyal comrade until his defection. But I digress." He cocks his head in an avian gesture. "You ask my purpose? I wanted to _see_."

Zero frowns. "See what?"

" _You_ , of course," Crowrang replies, as if this should be obvious. "I wanted to see if the Reploid that has always fascinated him so was really all that great. To see what makes you so special, that he would leave us for you and your Hunters." He flares out his wings and two energy blades sizzle into being. "So, Maverick Hunter Zero, let's see what you're worth!"

Zero has a retort on the tip of his tongue about how Axl's defection was more to do with Red Alert's misdeeds than any desire to be a Maverick Hunter, but Wind Crowrang fires off his first attack before he can say it, and then he's too caught up in the deadly dance of battle to say much of anything.

Axl, to his surprise, turns out to be a valuable asset in the fight; Zero had, somewhere in the back of his mind, been worried about Axl either being a liability in the fight or outright switching sides when confronted with the reality of fighting his former allies.

But as someone familiar with Crowrang's tactics, he's able to cover Zero's back or flank whenever the avian Reploid zips through the air and lunges down for a sudden attack and doesn't hesitate to take aim at Crowrang with his pistol.

His shots never miss, either. he's not aiming to kill, exactly, but he's also not pulling his punches, and Zero finds himself reluctantly impressed by the fact that Axl's actually following through on what he'd said he'd do: fight Red Alert to atone for the harm they'd caused in recent months.

(The fact that Axl and Wind Crowrang are clearly familiar with one another hasn't escape his notice, either. Even as enemies, they'd been amicable to one another during that conversation. friends before Axl's defection, perhaps, and Zero's estimation of Axl ratchets up another notch with that knowledge. Not many Reploids would have the courage to fight a former friend to the death, not for any reason. And yet here's Axl, going toe-to-talon with Crowrang, simply because he wants to do the right thing and stop Red Alert from hurting more people.)

The fights drags on for a bit, but the end result is inevitable; Wind Crowrang is outnumbered two to one, after all, and Zero is one of the best Hunters in the world. Eventually, he's overwhelmed bu Zero's strength and Axl's relentless barrage of bullets. He gives one last fierce shriek before he finally goes down, his sharp gaze catching and holding with Axl's before he plummets from the sky, too damaged to even flap his wings.

"See you around, Axl," is the last thing Wind Crowrang says, and then he's gone, hurtling towards the ground below at a pace too fast to stop; Zero thinks he can distantly make out the sound of an explosion after the avian Reploid vanishes from sight, but it's so faint he thinks it could just be the wind instead.

In the ensuing post-battle quiet, Axl's quiet murmur of "Goodbye, Crow," might as well be as loud as a cannon blast, and something twists painfully in Zero's chest.

"Come on," he says after a moment, at a loss for what to say to the kid; this sort of situation is better suited for X's empathy than Zero's inherent gruffness. "Let's get back to headquarters."

Axl gives a jerky nod. "Okay," is all he says in response, eyes dark and expression unreadable as he stares at the patch of sky where Crowrang had been just moments before.

(They make it back to the Hunter base unscathed and report in about the mission; Zero does most of the talking because Axl is uncharacteristically subdued in a way. Oh, he pasted a fake grin on his face whenever someone turns his way and he gushes a bit about how he really enjoyed going on a proper Maverick Hunter mission and how he's looking forward to the next outing, but as soon as the briefing is over he just…vanishes.

It makes X and Signas nervous, because they don't trust the kid. They're worried that he's wandering the base in an attempt to spy on them, or sabotage them or something.

But Zero just saw Axl help strike down someone he'd once called a friend. And maybe Axl does have a mercenary mindset and all the ruthless pragmatism that goes with it, but the kid obviously isn't heartless

He finds Axl on the roof, staring up at the night sky with a troubled expression.

Zero doesn't say anything; he's not X, who always has something perfectly eloquent and inspiring o say in any given situation. Besides, he's always felt that actions say more than words sometimes, anyway.

So he sits down next to Axl without saying a single word, and watches the stars. They sit like that, side by side, until dawn crests on the horizon and bathes them in a warm glow.

"Thanks," Axl says at last, his voice barely more than a hoarse murmur.

Zero just nods.

They don't go back downstairs until Alia summons them for the morning debrief.

The next time Axl smiles, it's not as bright, but at least it's real.)

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet was born after I re-read the game script for X7 and saw the pre-battle exchange between Axl and Wind Crowrang where Crowrang's like "You're not coming back?" and…I don't know. Their conversation always struck me as more amicable than some of Axl's conversations with other Red Alert members, to the point that they came across (to me, at least) as friends. And that made me think about Axl again, and about how much I adore him and his whole storyline. And I got to thinking (again) about how hard it must have been for Axl to not only leave Red Alert (which is all he's ever known, since he outright states that he has no memory of his life before Red found him and took him in) but to immediately turn around and start fighting against them for the greater good. To summarize: I love Axl and have too many thoughts and headcanons about him and everything in X7. So this fic happened. And then it exploded into over three thousand words. Oops? ;D
> 
> *Also, I had fun playing with the dialogue between Zero and Wind Crowrang, because I've always been of two minds about a certain line of dialogue that Crowrang has. Specifically, I feel that his line about "I wanted to see if the Reploid that fascinated him so was really all that great" could be interpreted two ways. 1) the "him" he's referring to is Sigma, because Sigma is kind of the man behind the man for Red Alert at this point and he's always had a bit of an obsession with Zero OR 2) the "him" is actually Axl, and Crowrang is talking about how Axl's always been fascinated with Zero; I chose this option because I think it's a nice bit of subtext, that maybe Axl has always had a bit of hero worship for Zero and X as Maverick Hunters and Crowrang feels a bit jealous of that or feels a bit like Zero and the Hunters are almost stealing Axl away. So, that was fun for me to think about, too. Because I'm a hopeless nerd. XD
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this silly little fic! Depending on my MMX muse, I may or may not write more stories like this in the future. See you around!


End file.
